Will Cosby Case And Statute of Limitations on Rape Make Things Awkward For Bill Clinton?

The country has been watching with disillusionment as one of the pop culture’s favorite father figures has been dragged in front of them as an accused rapist. Bill Cosby faces multiple charges of rape from decades ago, and now California is changing its statutes to eliminate a time limitation on bringing charges for the offense.

Hmmm. How could this affect another famous Bill who has also been accused of multiple rapes?

California Governor Jerry Brown on Wednesday signed a bill to end the statute of limitations for rape, a measure inspired by accusations against comedian Bill Cosby, some of which surfaced decades after alleged crimes occurred.

Cosby, who built a long career on family friendly comedy, including his long-running NBC sitcom “The Cosby Show,” has steadfastly denied ever assaulting anyone and has insisted that all his sexual encounters were consensual.

He is charged in Pennsylvania with drugging and sexually assaulting a former Temple University employee, Andrea Constand, at his home in 2004. In California, he faces a civil suit by a woman now in her 50s who alleges that Cosby plied her with alcohol and molested her in 1974 at the Playboy Mansion when she was aged 15.

Existing California law generally limits prosecution of a felony sexual offense to 10 years after the offense is committed.

And the idea of that kind of thing following you around, … forever … has got to make some other Bill a little nervous.

Let’s see, … the statute of limitations for rape in Arkansas is only 6 years, or before the victim turns 28 years old. … Nah, he’s safe.

However, it’s 15 years after the minor turns 21 or 15 years if the victim was an adult, in D.C.

* In 1972, a 22-year-old woman told campus police at Yale University that she was sexually assaulted by Clinton, a law student at the college. No charges were filed, but retired campus policemen contacted by Capitol Hill Blue confirmed the incident.

* In 1974, a female student at the University of Arkansas complained that then-law school instructor Bill Clinton tried to prevent her from leaving his office during a conference. She said he groped her and forced his hand inside her blouse. She complained to her faculty advisor who confronted Clinton, but Clinton claimed the student ”came on” to him. The student left the school shortly after the incident. Reached at her home in Texas, the former student confirmed the incident, but declined to go on the record with her account. Several former students at the University have confirmed the incident in confidential interviews and said there were other reports of Clinton attempting to force himself on female students;

*Broaddrick, a volunteer in Clinton’s gubernatorial campaign, said he raped her in 1978. Mrs. Broaddrick suffered a bruised and torn lip, which she said she suffered when Clinton bit her during the rape;

* From 1978-1980, during Clinton’s first term as governor of Arkansas, state troopers assigned to protect the governor were aware of at least seven complaints from women who said Clinton forced, or attempted to force, himself on them sexually. One retired state trooper said in an interview that the common joke among those assigned to protect Clinton was “who’s next?” One former state trooper said other troopers would often escort women to the governor’s hotel room after political events, often more than one an evening;